Brownstone Houses, 222 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, New York
Walker Evans
Description
In 1930–31 Walker Evans photographed a number of Victorian houses in New York State and New England and in 1935 he shot antebellum mansions in the South. His sympathetic interest in America’s decaying and disappearing monuments can be found in this image of 1860s Victorian row houses in Brooklyn. The imposing block of buildings overlooking Manhattan, which can be seen in the distance, reflects the values of a past era and the windows are now blank and “sightless.” Berenice Abbott photographed the same block of buildings for Changing New York.
Carole McNamara, Assistant Director for Collections & Exhibitions
on the occasion of the exhibition New York Observed: The Mythology of the City
(July 13 – September 22, 2003)
Subject Matter:
This photograph features a view of a row of Victorian townhouses in Brooklyn. The rhythmic regularity of the façade is highlighted; the recessed fenestration of the building gains visual interest from the play of sunlight and shade. The composition privileges the autonomy of the buildings and their architectural detail over any context: the scene is tightly framed on the left by the angular L-shape of a street lamp post, while the sharp contour of buildings stand out from the overexposed sky behind.
Physical Description:
This photography is a view of a row of Victorian townhouses in Brooklyn, framed on the left by the angular L-shape of a street lamp post.
Usage Rights:
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